Has the economy caused dads to be more involved with their kids?

I know at least one dad who says that being laid off from his job and becoming a stay-at-home dad is the best thing that's ever happened to him. (I'm not sure his wife would agree). Not only does he get to spend his days with his children, he's lost 50 pounds, lowered his blood pressure, and is no longer suffering the daily stress that came with his job. Roger recently wrote about wanting to be a stay-at-home dad himself, and how many other fathers feel the same way.

At our own preschool pickup, there were usually more dads than moms waiting out in the hallway everyday. In general, I've found that most of the activities my kids participate in have a good number of dads involved, and in many, at least half of the adults are men. Sarah Gilbert over at WalletPop wonders if part of the reason dads are more involved today has to do with the economy. Are dads spending more time with their kids right now because they aren't working? Or are dads just more involved in general?

It's a difficult question to answer. There's no doubt that today's dads are far more involved in child rearing than their own fathers probably were. Telecommuting, flexible schedules, and more women taking the lead role in bread winning have allowed men freedom during work hours to play a bigger part in the day-to-day care of their children. I think this trend started long before the economy took its nosedive, but maybe the economy is playing a role as well. Childcare is expensive, often so expensive that it sometimes makes more sense for one parent to stay home. In our modern times, that person is often Dad.

What do you think of Sarah's question? Are you seeing more dads involved in their child's activities? If so, do you think the economy has had an impact?

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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)

I think there are several reasons; but the main one has to do with women in the workforce. As women are not wanting to take a break from careers to stay home with their children, men are taking over. I don't see this as a bad thing, but a decision every family must make on their own.

When it comes time, my husband will stay home with the children because we are both in the same field and, surprisingly, in our field it is the women that make more and have more opportunity to move up. I will be able to make more money and support our family much better than he would.

I also can see our children being raised better by him than me being with them all day. Not that I wouldn't do it if the time came, but he will be so much better at it.

I think there's a shift in mindset that's having an affect. This isn't the 1950s and Ward Cleaver has long since passed away. The old cliched notions of fatherhood and marriage in general are (slowly) giving way to newer models of family lifestyle.

I'd like to think that there are increasingly more of us guys who view and treat our wives as equals - partners. There's nothing especially heroic about that - I do my best to regard my wife with the same care & respect as I'd like in return.